I
just spent the afternoon doing
something that really brings
back memories of my youth. No, I
wasn't stealing candy and yoyos
from the corner grocery, I was
raking leaves! Fancyin' myself a
decent writer and all, I don't
like to overdo the exclamation
points but with the profusion of
weak willed people relying on
leaf blowers these days, I think
a man wielding an old fashioned
rake warrants a little
celebration, don't you? Hence
the exclamation point. Hence,
also, the quart of chocolate
milk, banana creme pie and
People Magazine when I finished.
Just joking, I celebrated with a
sprig of parsley and some head
stand meditation.

You don't really know what to
believe when you read my website
ramblings, do you? The reason I
know this is because many, many
times through the years I've
gone out of my way to write the
most outlandish story - for
instance, the time I climbed a
radio tower antenna, got scared
up there and was rescued by
Ahnold the Governator. Believe
it or not, I heard from people
concerned about me climbing so
high without a safety harness.
Or the time I spent Thanksgiving
Day on a pogo stick, hopping
through Seattle and all the way
out to the mountain town of
Snoqualmie, where I spoiled the
Thanksgiving Dinner of my
friends by mis-hopping and
landing sprawled spread eagle in
the middle of the feast. Of
course, this never happened and
yet, quite a few folks wrote
asking if I knew where they too
could get a jet powered pogo
stick.

I've never been one to try to
fool people, it's just that once
I get to writing, I myself am
often not sure what's real and
what is not. My fingers type it
out and claim it's high truth.
My mind questions occasionally,
but mostly I go with the
fingers. They can punch me out
if I ask too much.

I'm
always the last person on my
block to rake my autumn leaves.
It's been that way my whole
adult life. I like to hang onto
the seasons, squeeze just a
little bit more out of each one
before the next one bullies it's
way in. It's been a beautiful
fall here in Seattle, the leaves
lasted much longer than they do
many years. We usually get high
winds just about the time that
the leaves are at their most
brilliant - and they're gone in
a day. Last weekend was just one
of those blustery days and I
hiked several miles around town,
loving the way the sky and air
was filled with fluttering
golden leaves as the wind was
bending trees and bushes every
time it gusted. To get out in
the wind like that just feels
like you're being cleansed, like
the wind is blowing through you
and washing out everything and
making you clear and free again.

We're in such a mild part of the
country here in the Pacific
Northwest that people don't
think we get much wind, but let
me tell you podnas, it does blow
a bit. My girlfriend, Patricia,
and I were up on Orcas Island in
October on a wildly blustery day
in October. Perhaps you saw
photos on the news of the ferry
bouncing around in Puget Sound.
Luckily, I carry suction cups
every where I go, and we were
able to stick them suckers on
the glass and not wash overboard
like most everybody else and
their cars. (guys, if you want
to impress your girl, carry
suction cups!)

When Patricia and I were on
Orcas Island we began taping the
first of a series of music
videos I'm doing for YouTube and
a number of other internet
sites. Patricia is a
professional photographer and so
the transition to video seems to
be a natural one for her. At one
point she got the idea though,
that she was a full-on movie
director and started trying to
get me to do dangerous nude
stunts. She wanted me to drive
nekkid with my feet on the wheel
and play my guitar hanging out
the window. She claimed this
would be "romantic" but it
seemed foolhardy to me and
contrary to the idea of living
another day. My beautiful
sweetheart was hell bent on it
though and, as I've learned in
the two years we've been
together; it's best to just take
a deep breath and do it, dammit.
Though she pouted (in an
insanely endearing way), I
convinced her to at least allow
me to drive some remote rural
roads rather than the main
highway. I believe the results,
if I live to finish, will give
people a whole new view of what
I do: Tender ballads, jazzy-pop
tunes, reckless, nude automobile
stunts.

I'm
still a few months away from
finishing the new CD but we are
going to be putting up some of
my earlier songs in video format
for now and preparing to do many
of the songs from my upcoming
CD. I'll send you notice and
post word on my site when you
can see these daredevil music
videos on your own home
computer.

Looking for Sponsorship:Looking for Sponsorship:Looking for Sponsorship:

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp The New CD is nearly finished &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp The New CD is nearly finished &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp The New CD is nearly finished

I've
spent nearly a year on my new
recording and I'm so very happy
with it. It is truly filled with
some of the best songs I've ever
written and the production is
beautiful and rich and vibrant.
Every week I feel that the songs
reach a new level of excellence.
It's such a dream to see this
coming true and I'm really
excited to release this music
into the world.

In hopes of really promoting the
CD widely, in the US and Europe,
I'm looking for sponsorship
companies or organizations or
individuals. It's an extremely
expensive thing, creating a new
album. I've spent many thousands
on it so far and am nearing the
finish. But there are pressing
and design costs and mostly,
promotion costs that lie ahead.
If you are interested in being a
part of this project, of having
your name or company or
organization name associated
with this music, I'd love for
you to get in touch. There are a
number of ways I believe the
association can serve everyone
involved.

MY PLAN is to do something much
in line with the way PBS
promotes their sponsors:
tastefully and with respect and
clarity. For instance: This
recording made possible by a
generous grant from the folks at
Evergreen Corporation.

Each sponsor will have included
in the actual CD packaging;
mention and thanks by name,
along with logo and website URL.

Also, on my personal website and
MySpace page, I will have my
webmaster create a page of
sponsors with descriptions and
links to your homepage.

According to your sponsorship
amount, I will send you a stack
of the new CDs before they are
officially released to the
public.

All sponsors and their guests
will be invited to a private
performance I will give in 2008.

There are endless other ways we
can be associated and I'm open
to talking about your thoughts
on this. If you are interested,
please email me and I'll get
right back to you. mt@michaeltomlinson.com

My CDs on iTunes and other paid download sitesMy CDs on iTunes and other paid download sitesMy CDs on iTunes and other paid download sites

So far, five of
my CDs are
available on all
the major paid
download sites.
Of course, I'm a
big fan of full
albums. I love
to hear the
whole song cycle
an artist
presents, but I
know the world
is on a
different track
these days. It's
more like it was
in the fifties,
when people
bought 45s and
the single from
an album was
what people
sought. I've
been very happy
to see that on
iTunes, most
people are
buying the whole
album instead of
just a song or
two. Yay!

I'm working hard
to get the new
CD up as quickly
as possible
after I finish
it. I'll be sure
and send you
notice when it's
there - and of
course, when the
CD is available
on my website.

Want to use my music on your website?Want to use my music on your website?Want to use my music on your website?

If you've got a
website and would
like to place one of
my songs there so
that visitors will
hear my song as they
browse your site,
just let me know and
we can arrange your
free use of my
music. There are
many ways to do this
but my webguy and I
are preparing some
songs for Flash so
that you may use
them without taking
a long time for your
page to download.
Let me know if
you're interested.
mt@michaeltomlinson.com

This
is one of my favorite times of
year, not just the leaves and
chilly air, but the season of
Thanksgiving. I feel like it's
the one of the few Holidays that
has not been over hyped and made
too commercial to enjoy. To me,
there is no more beautiful
feeling than gratitude.

Whatever is going on in your
life this year, as scary as our
world situation may be, as
difficult as your personal
experience may be, I'm asking
you to please pause now and
then, look around and see if you
can find anything to feel
thankful for. It's a beautiful
start and I believe there is
something that will call to you
if you give it a chance. And one
simple thing is all it takes. If
there is one thing in your life
that you are truly grateful for,
then you should celebrate - even
after all these painful,
difficult, even disappointing
events of life, you, my friend
have managed to still feel
grateful for something.

In 1983 I wrote a song that has
come to mean Thanksgiving to me
over the years. Perhaps because
the first time I ever sang it
for anyone was on an icy
Thanksgiving in Seattle. That
day and ice storm had come and
electricity had gone out over
most of the city. People were
gathered around fireplaces for
warmth and friendship, sharing
stories and laughter. It was one
of the best Thanksgivings of our
lives. At the end of that day,
just before everyone went out to
their frozen cars to drive home
on the slippery, crunchy
streets, I sang Run Like the
River Runs. I'll never forget
the soft firelight and the
silence in the room as I sang
this beautiful song that had
somehow come through me on a
camping trip in the Cascade
mountains a few months before.

You probably know the song,
"Tell me what you will my
blue-winged friend . . . " I've
never grown tired of singing it.
I've walked ocean beaches and
river sides and trails over
hills and through canyons and
even through the Redwood Forest
with my guitar strapped on and
singing the song with my heart
wide open. It's a huge gift that
I've never quit giving thanks
for. I'd like to leave you with
the lyrics and say Happy
Thanksgiving to you, my friends.
Thank you for believing in me
over the years, for listening to
my songs and sharing them with
your friends. It's meant a lot
to me. Take some deep breaths
and be kind to yourself.

Tell me
what you will, my blue-winged friend
Did you hear me from where you drifted on the wind?
This autumn wind on a summer day
Sure can turn a blue sky gray
Oh, it's a lonely day and cold
There are secrets you've not told
And there are part of me that I have never known
And I wonder if you see
All the walls inside of me?

Feathered friend, I wish that you could say
Why you sit on that wooden post and watch me play
The sky is yours and the ground is mine
Do you want to trade sometime?
And let me soar above these trees
See the earth through golden leaves
Breathe the air and watch the rivers from above
There are many things to love
But it's these that call to me

If I
run like the river runs, if I fall like water
falls
Oh, if I breathe like the wind, will I ever
learn it all?
If I change like autumn leaves
If I grow like
summer weeds
If I'm as quiet as snow, will I ever know it
all?
Learn it all?

I don't
really know from day to day
If I'm willing to walk this road or turn away
But something here in the silver sky is exactly what
I need
To begin the song again, help me sing my winged
friend
With the melody you rise and float away
Then I'll leave the way I came, but I'll never be
the same

If I
run like the river runs, if I fall like water
falls
Oh, if I breathe like the wind, will I ever
learn it all?
If I change like autumn leaves
If I grow like
summer weeds
If I'm as quiet as snow, will I ever know it
all?
Learn it all?

We enjoyed a beautiful,
sparkling snowfall in Seattle
earlier this month. I woke from
a Saturday afternoon nap (my
specialty - I won a contest
once) to see it snowing
magically outside my window and
was mesmerized by it, feeling
like I was still dreaming as I
watched a world of feathery
snowflakes flying about my yard.
Oh boy! I grabbed my little
pooch and took her outside to
get a picture of her in the
snow. I figured this was as good
a Christmas card photo as I was
likely to get. She turned out
not to be as excited as I was,
but then, the snow didn't come
up to my crotch. It only
went to my ankles, I guess it's
a different story when you feel
the contact of freezing snow in
certain other vulnerable places.
I took her back inside and I
bundled up for a walk around my
neighborhood streets. It all
seemed like another world out
there, softened by elegant white
drifts and reshaped into
completely different houses and
yards. Every so often I'd see a
magnificent scene that just took
my breath away and I'd fumble
with my little camera, trying to
work the buttons through big
gloves so that I could take
pictures of what I saw before
me. Then I'd look at the screen
on the back of my camera and
realize that I'd
failed completely. You just
can't capture that kind of
wonder.

In
Seattle, rain almost always follows
snow, so you if you love snow, you'd
better get out there in it right
away. I thought about the time a few
years back when it had snowed all
night and I got up very early,
walked outside with my new snow
shovel and cleared the walks of all
my neighbors on both sides of the
street. I was really sweating,
trying to get it all shoveled before
anyone got up. What a nice surprise,
I thought, to awaken to fresh
snowfall and see that your own walk
is cleared already. I was quite
pleased with myself, feeling kind of
heroic and Cub Scout-like. Then,
before anyone could get up out of
bed and see my magnificent good
deed, the weather changed and rained
all the rest of the snow away. No
one would ever know that I'd spent
hours shoveling the whole dang
block. It's not the kind of thing
you can just bring up in casual
conversation without looking
extremely pretentious. "Uh, hi. I
know there's no snow any more, but
there was a bunch this morning and I
worked my ass off shoveling your
sidewalk. No, no, it's okay! I just
thought you should know in case, uh
. . . in case you wondered why my
back is all bent over an' stuff."

No, you just can't go around talking
about what you did when there is no
evidence to show. For that very
reason, I don't talk much about
putting out house fires or stopping
mudslides. I just go about my day
and let people think Nature did it.

I've been working a lot in the
studio and am getting closer to
finishing my new full band CD. I'm
so excited about this record! After
nearly a year of recording, I'm at
the stage where the icing is going
on the cake. In the last month my
friend, Miles Gilderdale, guitarist
from the band, Acoustic Alchemy, has
played on three more of my songs and
knocked us all out with his
creativity and talent and heart.
We've built really solid
arrangements over this last year and
now to have such sparkling
accompaniment added near the end is
a dream. I'm still singing final
vocals and adding harmonies to
several of them but I can now begin
to see the end of the project and
will probably be through in another
two or three months.

I have been so blessed with love in
my life these last two years. It's a
huge part of the sound of this new
record. My beautiful girlfriend,
Patricia, is my sounding board for
so much that I do in the studio and
she's been amazingly insightful,
helping me get past the places where
I'm stuck and inspiring me to reach
for something stronger and better
with every song. To have so much
love and friendship in my life while
I'm trying to create a work of
magnificence is beyond any gift I
could ever have hoped for.

I used to always give all of my
friends a solo acoustic version of
all the songs that would be on an
upcoming album. That's the way I
always start: recording the solo
versions to get a sense of
arrangement and tempo. I'd give
these to friends and family and then
I'd spend several months and many
thousands of dollars recording the
new CD. When it was finished I'd be
all excited to hear what my friends
thought of it. Inevitably, about
half would always say, "It's
nice, but I think I like the solo
version better." Imagine my
reaction to that. So I learned my
lesson. No one gets the solo
version. That way there's a better
chance they'll like the band
version. I must hedge my bets.

Upcoming ConcertsUpcoming ConcertsUpcoming Concerts

Looking for Sponsorship: The New CD is nearly finishedLooking for Sponsorship: The New CD is nearly finishedLooking for Sponsorship: The New CD is nearly finished

I've
spent nearly a year on my new
recording and I'm so very happy
with it. It is truly filled with
some of the best songs I've ever
written and the production is
beautiful and rich and vibrant.
Every week I feel that the songs
reach a new level of excellence.
It's such a dream to see this
coming true and I'm really
excited to release this music
into the world.

In hopes of really promoting the
CD widely, in the US and Europe,
I'm looking for sponsorship
companies or organizations or
individuals. It's an extremely
expensive thing, creating a new
album. I've spent many thousands
on it so far and am nearing the
finish. But there are pressing
and design costs and mostly,
promotion costs that lie ahead.
If you are interested in being a
part of this project, of having
your name or company or
organization name associated
with this music, I'd love for
you to get in touch. There are a
number of ways I believe the
association can serve everyone
involved.

MY PLAN is to do something much
in line with the way PBS
promotes their sponsors:
tastefully and with respect and
clarity. For instance: This
recording made possible by a
generous grant from the folks at
Evergreen Corporation.

Each sponsor will have included
in the actual CD packaging;
mention and thanks by name,
along with logo and website URL.

Also, on my personal website and
MySpace page, I will have my
webmaster create a page of
sponsors with descriptions and
links to your homepage.

According to your sponsorship
amount, I will send you a stack
of the new CDs before they are
officially released to the
public.

All sponsors and their guests
will be invited to a private
performance I will give in 2008.

There are endless other ways we
can be associated and I'm open
to talking about your thoughts
on this. If you are interested,
please email me and I'll get
right back to you. mt@michaeltomlinson.com

My CDs on iTunes and other paid download sitesMy CDs on iTunes and other paid download sitesMy CDs on iTunes and other paid download sites

So far, five of
my CDs are
available on all
the major paid
download sites.
Of course, I'm a
big fan of full
albums. I love
to hear the
whole song cycle
an artist
presents, but I
know the world
is on a
different track
these days. It's
more like it was
in the fifties,
when people
bought 45s and
the single from
an album was
what people
sought. I've
been very happy
to see that on
iTunes, most
people are
buying the whole
album instead of
just a song or
two. Yay!

I'm working hard
to get the new
CD up as quickly
as possible
after I finish
it. I'll be sure
and send you
notice when it's
there - and of
course, when the
CD is available
on my website.

A Tribute to Dan FogelbergA Tribute to Dan FogelbergA Tribute to Dan Fogelberg

On
a December morning in 2007, Dan
Fogelberg passed away. It was a sad
day for me and millions of others. I
carry a sadness still that someone
so filled with love and imagination
has passed on from this world.

For almost anyone who has listened
to my music over the years, it must
be clear that Dan was one of my
strong influences in my early years.
I was 21 when I first heard his song
Part of the Plan and the entire
Souvenirs album and it astounded me
from first listen. I'd been writing
songs for less than a year at that
time and suddenly I had heard
another writer doing what I was
trying to do, only much, much
better. Instead of causing me to
feel less capable, his music
inspired me. His writing and
singing, the beautiful songs and
lyrics he imagined, made me want to
find the poetry in my own life and
sing it to the world.

In those years I had a little band
called Desert Rain, consisting of a
few friends I'd gone to high school
with and a friend from the local
community college I was going to in
Amarillo. Every one of us loved
Dan's music. We brought wide ranging
inspirations to the group, Carl
liked Humble Pie, Ray liked Grand
Funk Railroad, Joe loved the
Beatles, Buddy loved Bruce Cockburn,
I loved Joni Mitchell and Paul
Simon. We all loved James Taylor and
Elton John and Crosby, Stills, Nash
and Young. And then Dan Fogelberg
came along and became in those early
years, the artist I most resonated
with. His longing and yearning
melodies, love of nature and romance
found a home in me. That was years
before I ever wrote Yellow Windows,
but his influence very much fills
that song.

I was living in Whitefish, Montana,
about to go to work running a chair
lift at Big Mountain Ski Resort,
when I saw that Fogelberg's Phoenix
album had just come out. I was
waiting for work to start and as
soon as I got my first paycheck I
was going to go buy that record. I
remember standing in the record
store in Kalispell, Montanta, and
reading all the lyrics and looking
at the pictures. Remember how
exciting L.P.s were? You'd get that
new record and lie on the floor
listening, reading lyrics, turning
the album cover over and taking it
all in? I couldn't wait to buy that
record.

What needed to happen first was for
there to be some snowfall. I
couldn't go to work until The
Mountain opened and it wasn't going
to open until enough snow fell to
ski upon. One late November night,
the first snowfall came. You could
tell it was going to be the one.
We'd had a few light dustings, but
this night the sky was full and
heavy with snow and it was almost a
blizzard. I took a hike down the
country roads around Lake Whitefish,
bundled up. blowing steam as I hiked
and hummed songs that I loved. The
roads were empty and wouldn't have a
car go by for twenty minutes at a
time. I'd walk in the silence past
open, snowy meadows and forests,
past houses and cabins with warm
yellow light glowing from the
windows and smoke rising from the
chimney. I started humming something
as I walked, some new melody that
felt like what I was seeing out
there on that snowy night.

I
was out a couple of hours that
evening and when I returned to Kamp
Karefree, where I lived. (yes, that
was really the name of it) My beard
and mustache was filled with ice. I
walked into my little warm house and
stomped the snow off and within ten
minutes was playing my guitar and
writing down lyrics. All in that one
night Yellow Windows was born. I was
a young songwriter and dreamer and
it was a part of my process to
imagine certain song writers when I
wrote my songs. Dan Fogelberg was
all over that one.

I thank you Dan, for the years of
love and sweetness your music gave
me and so many. We hold you in a
special place in our hearts, a place
for friends and loved ones. You knew
you would go on and on, that there
would truly be no end to your spirit
life. You sang about it over and
over again. So I do not worry about
you. You will be growing and
creating and loving and soaring in
every place you go now. Thank you
especially, for those early years
when I needed to believe there was
something in me that was good
enough, loving enough, to be poured
into music that would soothe and
heal and comfort and uplift - just
as your music has done all these
years.

Your friend in frosty Seattle,
~Michael

My friends, I wish you a loving
and peaceful season and life.
We're all pretty overwhelmed on
this planet now. But there is
always a way to love, always a
way to feel, always a way to
forgive and always, always a way
to begin again to open our
hearts. That is what I wish for
you. No matter where you are or
what you're doing, take some
deep breaths and remember to be
kind to yourself.

I'll leave you with the song
that Dan gave me way back when I
was a young man wandering the
snowy roads around Whitefish
Lake in Montana.

Once I knew all the things
that I wanted in love
On this snow covered ground
I was born
Some part of me knows what a
young heart can give
And love would be warm where
I live

And I walk these hidden
roads
I love these snowflakes
and this cold
And these home with
yellow windows
Shine their warmth into
my soul

Gentle wind, you are an
angel
Oh, if you were flesh
and blood
But that chimney smoke's
your lover
I have watched you
making love

Not long ago I held a woman
so close
I wonder why I let her go
Oh, what a year
I've learned to live with my
fear
Will I ever hold love so
dear?

And I walk these hidden
roads
I love these snowflakes
and this cold
And these home with
yellow windows
Shine their warmth into
my soul

Gentle wind, you are an
angel
Oh, if you were flesh
and blood
But that chimney smoke's
your lover
I have watched you
making love

In the mornings I remember
And I try hard not to cry
Well, she knows the love I
send her
Will be warm until I die
And she walks this road
inside me
With these snowflakes and
this cold
May these home with yellow
windows
Shine their warmth into our
souls?

It seems like a couple of months or
longer have gone by since I last
wrote you, but I'm sure I must be
mistaken. Then again, I've had a
strange relationship with time ever
since I got hold of some bad bong
water in the seventies. I won't go
into details, please just know that
I've changed my ways since then and
am no longer known by my neighbors
as The Giggler. (though I am
still kind of known as the laughing
man down the block)

I thought I saw a speck of purple
out in my backyard this morning and
ran outside to be sure. Yep, spring
is on the way. It was the first
little crocus blossom peeking up out
of the grass. It's funny how one
little thing like that can mean so
much to me.
The older I get, the more it means
to me to see new blossoms and
sprouts every year. When I was a
boy, and then a young man, autumn
was my season. Worlds of emotion,
especially a kind of sweet, romantic
melancholy flowed through me when
the leaves would change. It's that
way when you think you have an
endless life ahead of you. When you
know for sure you've lived more than
half of your life at best, those
early spring blossoms come to mean
something more and to be a
particularly precious sign in life.

She's good on
either side of the dang
camera

Speaking
of something else very beautiful and
precious, my sweet love, Patricia,
has begun taping videos of me
singing some of my songs so that we
can post them on YouTube and other
online sites. She has this sparkle
in those beautiful brown eyes of
hers that convinces me, despite all
my deeper instincts, that it's okay
to have my picture taken or a video
camera following my every move. I
swear, you could be repulsively
hideous and she'd find your good
side. I don't know how she does it
unless it's just all the love. (she
may have a magic camera)

We set up a shot by my living room
fireplace and it was quite a circus
there for a while, trying to get
sound and light and fire all
coordinated. My friends, if you want
to test your relationship and see if
it can hold up under big pressure,
just have your true love film you
singing a long song, trying to stay
in good light while also trying to
keep the microphone from showing up
in the frame - and hoping the back
of your body doesn't catch fire when
chunks of exploding coals pop out of
the fireplace and down your collar.
Whee! I sang Living Things about ten
times before we could get it right,
but eventually, I think it came out
pretty good for our first try. You
can only detect just a slight hint
of surliness on my face.

I don't spend much time on YouTube,
partly because I'm one of those cave
men who still has a dial-up
connection in my home, but also
because you have to spend hours to
find a single thing worth watching.
I've noticed that a great many of
the music videos on YouTube look
like someone filmed them underwater
with their cell phone, so I figured
we could do at least that well. As
it turned out, my girlfriend, who is
an excellent professional
photographer, is actually great with
a video camera, too. So she made it
less painful than I ever would have
imagined. If you'd like to see my
Living Things video, just go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHMVkXs4WTs

We are
working on some other tunes and will
have them up soon. I'll be sure and
post notice when they're done.

Groundhog DayGroundhog DayGroundhog Day

I
performed a concert in Seattle on GroundHog
Day and it was such a beautiful
gathering of friends. I don't mean that
everyone there was beautiful. No sirreee,
there were a couple of dozen doozies that
you didn't dare gaze directly at, but it
certainly was a happy, good-willed group.

I got a lot of letters and emails after that
concert; no matter how many times I hear
someone's story about where they first heard
one of my songs or what they were doing when
they listened, it never gets old to me. A
woman who'd taken the ferry over from
Whidbey Island that night wrote me the next
day, "With all the terrible news we hear
about every day concerning the state of the
world and the pain the people and the planet
are suffering, hearing your words, and music
was a breath of fresh air. Thank you so much
for putting my world back in order and
giving me hope."

I don't think there's much more a songwriter
could ask of a song than that it make
someone feel like that.

I also played a private concert in Lake
Tahoe last month. The whole countryside was
covered in deep snow and the sunshine
radiating off it was brilliant and
beautiful. Patricia and I took a drive on
the road around the lake and had breakfast
in the rustic metropolis of Truckee. It's a
beautiful little town and reminded me so
much of my time in Montana and Colorado when
I was young. (I'm a geezer now)

You may not have noticed on my website over
the years, but as well as my public
concerts, I am often hired for private
performances, flown to various parts of the
country to play for a group of friends and
family, sometimes a whole community or
organization. It's always an amazing event
because I get to step right into a family of
people who really love each other and am
always received like an old friend. Patricia
went with me for the Tahoe concert and we
joined a group of folks in a beautiful snow
covered lodge. It was such a joy to be with
people who exuded so much love and goodwill
and humor. It was truly a living room
concert I'll never forget.

If you're ever interested in any of my
private performances, you can
click here
-or- just write me to
find out more.

In my last
rambling I wrote a tribute to
Dan Fogelberg, sharing my sadness at his
passing and also the strong influence his
music had on me in my early years of
learning to write songs. I must say, in all
my years of posting stories on my website, I
have never had so many people write me in
response to one. In reading your messages, I
could tell that many were grieving alone,
perhaps not knowing anyone else who felt as
close to or as grateful to Dan as they did.
It seemed that my tribute released something
in people and the letters that poured out
really meant a lot to me. I answered every
one, as I do all my emails and letters, but
I thank you again for your kind words and
for sharing your own feelings.

Progress with my new CDProgress with my new CDProgress with my new CD

I'm
making good progress with my new CD. Every
week I marvel at how the songs are evolving
and how much more beautiful and vibrant my
songs are than I even realized. I'm really
excited for you to hear them.

Soon, I plan to go to all the folks on my
mail list and ask for contacts and ideas,
places and people to send this CD to so that
it has the best chance of getting heard
around the world. I've never been more sure
that all the songs are good, that each one
is filled with heart and spirit and
goodwill. Yes, I always try to do that, but
in the last two years of my life something
in particular has happened to me: I've found
my true love, my best friend and true
companion. That does something to a man. It
brings out more love, more compassion and
gratitude and humbleness. I'm really excited
for you to hear what the result is.

If you know people in the media, press, in
movies or television, magazines,
organizations, charities, communities, who
you think will be moved by my music and
might do something with it, let me know. My
plan is to get these songs to people in
positions where they can really get things
accomplished. I'd love to have songs placed
in movies or tv and to have worthwhile
organizations use my music in their work.
The possibilities are endless and I'd love
to have your help.

~How to be be a Sponsor of my new CD~~How to be be a Sponsor of my new CD~~How to be be a Sponsor of my new CD~

I've spent over a year on my new recording
and I'm so very happy with it. It is truly
filled with some of the best songs I've ever
written and the production is beautiful and
rich and vibrant. Every week I feel that the
songs reach a new level of excellence. It's
such a dream to see this coming true and I'm
really excited to release this music into
the world.

In hopes of really promoting the CD widely,
in the US and Europe, I'm looking for
sponsors; companies or organizations or
individuals who would like to be a part of
releasing this music into the world. It's an
extremely expensive thing, creating a new
album. I've spent many thousands on it so
far and am nearing the finish. But there are
pressing and design costs and mostly,
promotion costs that lie ahead. If you are
interested in being a part of this project,
of having your name or company or
organization name associated with this
music, I'd love for you to get in touch.
There are a number of ways I believe the
association can serve everyone involved.

My plan is to do something much in line with
the way PBS promotes their sponsors:
tastefully and with respect and clarity. For
instance: This recording made possible by a
generous grant from the folks at Evergreen
Corporation.

Each
sponsor will have included in the actual
CD packaging; mention and thanks by
name, along with logo and website URL.

Major
sponsors will have an opportunity to
share a presence at my concerts. We can
talk about how this best serves you.

On my
Official Website, I will create a page
of sponsors with descriptions and links
to your homepage.

All
sponsors will be acknowledged in a
national e-mailing I will send out to
announce the release of my CD

I'M ALSO SEEKING
A SINGLE SPONSOR
TO SUPPORT A NATIONWIDE MAILING TO MY ENTIRE
MAILING LIST. I plan on
sending out a beautiful letter, not a
newsletter, an actual letter offering
something special for everyone on my mail
list. That one organization - if it is one
that is in alignment with my music and
goodwill - would benefit by being included
in the mailing and having nearly 9000 folks
know about what it is that they do and
offer.

According
to your sponsorship amount, I will send
you a stack of the new CDs before they
are officially released to the public.

All
sponsors and their guests will be
invited to a private performance I will
give in 2008.

There are
endless other ways we can be associated and
I'm open to talking about your thoughts on
this. If you are interested, please email me
and I'll get right back to you.

There are endless possibilities and I'm very
open to hearing about what you envision. If
you're interested in becoming a sponsor,
please email me at
mt@michaeltomlinson.com My mailing address is
PO Box 15248 / Seattle, WA 98115-0248

I cain't hep it, dogs jis
loves me

Ever since my first
concerts I have told stories. I'm known for
many of them and sometimes people come to my
concerts almost as much for the stories as
the songs. I've actually surprised myself
sometimes, talking about something very
personal or painful on stage, something I
would never have dreamed that I'd talk about
in a room filled with people I don't know.
But I've learned to trust this and if I feel
a story coming on, I try to allow it to
emerge. Sometimes it's left a room in
stunned silence, sometimes it leaves them
howling in laughter or quietly crying.
Ideally, a little of all. There is often a
sense of ebb and flow of emotion and humor
permeating the evening that feels like
breathing. And when it's all over I marvel
at what transpired that was so much more
than a concert.

This flow of stories became gradually easier
and more natural for me. I'm fortunate for
this; because there is a freedom in being
able to tell your stories and in feeling
that your listeners come along on the
journey with you. I've known for a long time
now that they come along because my stories
are so much like their stories. Different
names and places but still, they are stories
of my own search in life for love and
friendship and spiritual connection.

In my years of hosting my own weekend
retreats called, A Gathering of Friends, I
learned this beautiful lesson: Given a safe
space and enough time in which to tell it,
there is not a human being on earth who
cannot leave you stunned by something in
their life experience, something they have
overcome or accomplished or survived. It's a
beautiful thing really, watching and
listening to another human being tell you
their stories. There is really nothing more
fascinating on earth.

I've brought this up because I want to
suggest to you that you begin to tell your
own stories more often. Sure, start with the
charming ones if you like. All expression is
a door to deeper communication. But when you
can, when you're courageous enough, tell
your difficult stories. Even your sad and
shameful stories. These are the stories that
will free you and will free the person you
tell them to.

I remember several years back that I was
having a great many powerful spiritual
dreams and revelations. I had not told
anyone about many of them, thinking they
were such unusual and powerful stories that
I wasn't exactly sure where to begin - or if
they were too strange to share. But then I
thought how important it is to me for the
people I love to really know who I am. It's
important to me to know that when I leave
this earth, the people who I love will have
known the real me and loved me for who I was
and not only for who they thought I was.
This means that I need to share my difficult
stories as well as my entertaining ones.

I went to each of my closest friends and
talked to them about the dreams and
experiences I'd been having. To a person,
each and every one I told would glance off
almost in a transe during my telling,
reliving something they themselves had
experienced, and when I was finished,
couldn't wait to gush out experiences of
their own which mine had reminded them of.
It was a deeply intimate thing to have
trusted that I could tell my stories and
then to have my friends gratefully feel free
to tell theirs.

I've been in an unusual position in this
lifetime, certainly in the years since I
recorded my first album, to hear from people
all over the world. The stories are as
unique as each fingerprint and at the same
time, they are the same story. I have
received thousands of messages and letters
over the years from people who feel that
they have no one to share their stories
with. They hear my songs and think I'm
someone safe to do this with. What they
don't always realize is that every neighbor
up and down their street, every co-worked
and family member thinks the same thing:
that they cannot share some parts of their
world and experience with each other.

That's why it takes some courage to be the
first. I wonder what would happen if you
were go to someone you love - or maybe even
a stranger - and tell them something of your
story in life. I don't mean just your
achievements and accomplishments. I am
talking about your revelations, your losses,
your awakening or your grief. What if you
were to tell someone something you are
ashamed of or afraid to tell? Do you know
what kind of gift this could be for the
person you entrust? No matter what your
story, I promise you the person you tell
will then be relieved of having to hold
their own story inside. They will say
something like, "Are you kidding me? That's
not bad! That's nothing! If you knew what
I'm like, you'd freak totally out!"

Which is where you then get to listen and
then yell out, "No way!" and shove them like
Elaine Bennis would shove Jerry Seinfeld
when he told her shocking gossip. And then
of course, you get to get out your vast
supply of untold stories you've never dared
to tell. Dammit, you're going to shock this
person one way or another. To hell with this
"oh, I've done far worse" bidnis!

I think you get the general idea, don't you?
I'm just suggesting that you start to tell
your stories. There is someone who you can
safely do this with. It takes courage, but
you will feel so proud of yourself for being
so courageous as to share a story of your
own journey through life so that your friend
may feel free to do the same.

Thanks for visiting my website and for
reading what I've dreamed up here. Thank you
for listening to my music and sending me
such good will, whether through emails or
letters or thoughts and prayers. I get them
all.

I hope you have a beautiful springtime
coming your way. Take some deep breaths
every day and be kind to yourself.